Improvement in pepper and spice boxes



) I BWHHMMOYHMH, Spice-550x.

No. 121,399. Patented Nov- 28,1871.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BERNARD MORAHAN, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN PEPPER AND SPICE BOXES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 121,399, dated November28, 1871; antedated November 13,1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BERNARD MORAHAN, of Brooklyn, in Kings county, inthe State of New York, have invented certain Improvements in Pepper andSpice Boxes, of which the following is a specification:

My invention relates to the top or cover of a pepper or spice boxthrough which the material is sifted for use. It is well known that theperforations are liable to become clogged, thereby preventing thecontents of the box from sifting through when desired. The object of myinvention is to obviate this difficulty.

In the drawing accompanying, which is a part of this specification,Figure 1 is a vertical section of an ordinary pepper-box with myimprovement attached, in which A A are flanges, made of a thin piece ofmetal and connected to the knob B by the rod 0 through a hole in theperforated cover, the hole through which the rod 0 passes beingsufficiently large to allow the rod to move freely therein, so that whenthe box is shaken the sharp edges of the flanges A A strike the innersurface of the cover, cutting away any of the contents of the box whichmay have stuck thereto, and at the same time jarring it s'ufficiently toclear the perforations. In the reverse motion the object is assisted bya blow from the knob B upon the outside of the cover. Fig. 2 is a'viewof myinvention detached from the box.

I do not claim a series of wipers and fan operated by a finger-bar orlever upon the outside of the cover of a pepper-caster, for LouisLochman has claimed that in his patent, dated September 25, 1866 butWhat I do claim is A series of cutting-flanges attached to a knob by arod through the perforated cover of a pepper-box, when the rod is leftsufficiently long and loose in the cover that the shaking of thepepper-box vertically will produce an alternate blow of the cutters andknob upon the perforated top of a pepper-box, substantially as and forthe purpose set forth.

BERNARD MORAHAN. Witnesses:

G. STAGKPOLE,

H. E. BLINN. (88;

